Dreams Don't Have To Stay That Way
by RavenclawGenius
Summary: Triple Treble: Chloe's fantasy doesn't really want to /remain/ a fantasy.
1. Chapter 1

"Becs?" Chloe hesitates.

Beca's brows instinctively rise with suspicion. Chloe Beale is not hesitant; she is confidence and ease personified, and the only time that Beca has ever heard her voice edge with this particular brand of nervousness had been the day that Beca had squirmed for an hour for want of something coherent to say before ultimately (gracelessly) blurting out her feelings for the redhead.

"Yeah?" Beca answers, stilling her fingers in Chloe's hair as Chloe's dance anxiously across Beca's uncovered stomach.

"I want- I mean, I have to- tell you something. And I don't- I'm really hoping that you won't be angry with me, okay? Just… try to listen, okay?"

Beca frowns. "You're making me a little worried, Chlo."

"I know," Chloe sighs tremulously. "It's just that this isn't exactly- _normal_, and I'm afraid that I might hurt your feelings, and I'm not even really sure how to…" She flutters her hand urgently through the air as she trails off.

"Hey, it's just me, Chlo," Beca tries to comfort, tugging affectionately against a strand of flaming red hair. "Talk to me," Beca murmurs. "You're not, like, breaking up with me, are you?" She asks nervously, as quickly as the thought occurs to her, while making a valiant (but woefully unsuccessful) attempt to keep her voice from trembling.

"No," Chloe shakes her head. "No, of course not. I love you, Becs," Chloe vows earnestly. "I love you so much, and I don't want to lose you, and that's why this is so hard, but I think- I think you might really hate what I'm about to tell you, and I just- I don't even want to say it, because it seems really cruel of me, but it feels- _more_ wrong to keep it from you, okay?"

"Chloe," Beca swallows thickly, "what is it?"

"I had a dream, the other night," Chloe inhales deeply and Beca can feel her hold it for a moment as the redhead tenses, curled up against Beca's chest. "And it- it was one of _those_ dreams," she says, darting her eyes uneasily up at Beca to be sure that she understands.

Beca nods encouragingly. She definitely _does _understand. Chloe has more X-rated thoughts than most porn directors, Beca's pretty sure; she knows what _those_ dreams entail.

Chloe remains quiet for a moment, so Beca asks hesitantly, "Did- Is there something… different, that you wanted to try?"

Chloe isn't usually shy about proposing new things in the bedroom (the first time that they had used a strap-on, Chloe had simply broke it out from beneath the bed and, without asking, had promptly harnessed it to her hips to fuck Beca with it – not that Beca had _minded_, of course), but Beca isn't really sure where this conversation is going, and she feels like it's a reasonable question to ask, given Chloe's vague introduction.

Chloe bites her bottom lip and slowly sits up, folding her legs beneath her and taking her hand to draw shapeless designs across Beca's palm.

"Sort of," she admits softly. "I- Aubrey was in it," Chloe confesses, almost inaudibly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Beca reacts, sitting abruptly to corner her back against the headboard of Chloe's bed. "You had a _sex dream_ about _Aubrey_?"

"Well," Chloe's brow furrows nervously, "not… _exclusively_ about Aubrey."

"_What?_" Beca frowns.

"Well, you were there, too," Chloe whispers. "And me. And we were – "

"That's okay," Beca holds up her free, quivering palm, and closes her eyes. "I get it."

"I'm sorry," Chloe rushes out. "Beca, I'm so sorry. It's not- I mean, you're… _amazing_ in bed, and it's not that you're not enough, I swear, it's just that- I had the dream, and then I was planning to ignore it – and I _tried_ to, Beca; I swear I tried, but it- I can't get it out of my head. It felt like I was cheating on you, and I know it's wrong to tell you about it, but it felt worse to hide it away, and- and _say something_, Becs," Chloe pleads frantically.

Beca's thoughts spiral out of line.

Chloe wants to have sex with Aubrey? Chloe wants _Beca_ to have sex with Aubrey? Chloe wants them to all have sex… _together?_

Beca had known, falling for Chloe Beale, that she was in for one hell of a ride, but- _Jesus fucking Christ_, this can't be socially sanctioned, can it? Granted, lesbianism in general isn't entirely accepted, anyway, and Beca has always been very good about coloring way outside the lines, so she doesn't really care, but –

Beca pauses.

But _what?_

It's not like Aubrey isn't pretty. She is, if Beca thinks about it (which she really _hadn't_, before now); Aubrey is stunning, in the aristocratic, graceful manner of royalty. She's beautiful. Not like Chloe, of course – Chloe is warm, and endearing, and the kind of pretty that drops you to the floor with a twinkle in her baby blues and a beam that heats you from the inside out – but Aubrey definitely isn't hard on the eyes, either.

And socially sanctioned had never really been Beca's thing (see ear monstrosities, inked skin, and alternative clothing for confirmation), but- is this even _right?_ Like, how would it even work?

And, anyway, even if it _could _work, all this assumed that Aubrey would even agree, which seems like a _huge_ stretch to Beca. They get along alright, these days (they hadn't really had much of a choice, with Beca's frequent stays at her and Chloe's shared apartment), but they still bicker and roll their eyes an awful lot. Plus, Aubrey's militaristic and straight-laced (by no fault of her own, if the mentions of Aubrey's upbringing are to be believed), and she does _not_ color outside the lines like Beca does; she keeps her coloring neat and precise, with appropriate shading in all of the appropriate places, and nowhere else.

"Beca, please," Chloe whispers desperately.

"I- I mean, I don't know what to say?" Beca laughs breathlessly, floundering for words because she knows that Chloe needs to hear _something_. "Is this, like, something that you- actually want to _do?_" Beca furrows her brows as she watches Chloe with intent eyes.

"No," Chloe bites her lip. "Yes," she sighs out a moment later. "Sort of. But not if you don't want to," she adds quickly. "I love what we have together, Beca – just you and me – and I'm incredibly happy with you. I don't want to risk that for a stupid fantasy, and if you're uncomfortable with it, then we can just forget that I ever brought it up…"

"But…?" Beca says, offering a small, tender smile full of affection to encourage Chloe to continue. Because she _knows_ that Chloe isn't finished.

"But- don't you think it would be… _hot?_" Chloe breathes, flushing until her cheeks practically match her hair. "I mean, Aubrey and I have known each other for a long time, and I never really thought too much about it, you know? But she _is_ gorgeous, right? And we've always been really close – and the two of you are just so…" Chloe makes a small hum of struggle, but it almost sounds like a moan, to Beca, and she feels herself squirm a little as she pulls at Chloe's hand.

"So… what?" Beca asks as Chloe compliantly spreads herself atop of Beca, their mouths separated basically only by the words that Beca breathes between them.

"Passionate," Chloe swallows. "Both of you," she adds hoarsely. "Haven't you- I mean, haven't you ever wondered if all of that passionate arguing could transfer into ridiculously passionate sex?"

"No," Beca answers honestly, raising her hands to palm Chloe's bare hips. "It's not- I guess it isn't a crazy thought to have," Beca permits quietly, darting her eyes to Chloe's reddened lips as her tongue swipes across them, almost touching Beca's. "But I just- always thought of you."

Chloe nods, but seems to gain some confidence from the confession. "But… if you think about it now?" She murmurs, her mouth brushing teasingly across Beca's. "If you really _think_ about it, Beca? Aubrey's forever long legs twisted between yours?" Chloe kisses her softly. "All that blonde hair, tangled in your fingers?" Chloe purrs, flickering a kiss across Beca's jaw. "Her mouth, all painted red with that lipstick she likes so much," Chloe breathes into her ear, "leaving smudges down your neck?"

Beca swallows.

Okay, so it admittedly sounds super hot as a fantasy, sure – especially with Chloe whispering the words, naked above her, and the redhead's lower body grinding into Beca's thigh with arousal at just the _thought_ – but that didn't mean _anything_ about reality.

"Yeah," Beca agrees, gasping as Chloe's teeth nip against her earlobe in search of a response. "Yeah, okay. That sounds- not bad."

"It sounds sexy," Chloe argues seductively, her lips buzzing against Beca's skin as she hums.

"Yeah, but- oh, god," Beca shudders as Chloe whines softly and dips her hips into Beca's thigh again. "How would that even work, Chlo?"

"Are you saying you want it?" Chloe asks, snapping her head back to eye Beca with ecstatic disbelief.

"I don't know," Beca shakes her head and tries to compose herself.

It takes a minute. Fucking sue her. It's not like it's an easy feat, with a hot redhead on top of her and her hot pussy wetting against Beca's leg, and her own arousal practically flooding from her core.

"I mean, I love you, Chloe," Beca tries softly. "I don't- Would this be a one-time thing, or…?"

Chloe bites her lip and shakes her head. "I'm not sure. I mean, if we liked it… would you be open to doing it more than once? Are you- I mean, are you open to doing it at all? I don't want you to feel- threatened, or anything. I love you, too, Beca, and even if this _did_ happen, I don't want you to think that that will change."

"Is Aubrey even _gay?_" Beca asks abruptly.

It's a pretty important inquiry, given their discussion. And Chloe's never mentioned anything about Aubrey being sexually flexible, so that could seriously hinder things, anyway.

"She's- explored," Chloe giggles lightly.

Huh. Well, that doesn't exactly sound as- between the lines as Beca had pegged Aubrey Posen, does it?

But Aubrey's apparent willingness to evaluate her sexuality made the notion itself infinitely more feasible, and that much more _probable_. It would still be a stretch, Beca is convinced, but it contributes just a little more reality to the situation, and reality is what Beca needs to focus on.

"Can I think about it?" Beca requests, after taking a moment to contemplate.

Her mind is cloudy, and the thoughts that Chloe's putting in her head sound ridiculously fantastic _right now_, but Beca knows she isn't thinking straight. She can't, with Chloe nearby – Beca never could. But she isn't deluded enough to think that this doesn't have the potential to go terribly, terribly wrong, and Beca needs to consider what this could _mean_ for them.

"Of course," Chloe nods frantically. "I'd actually be a little offended on behalf of our relationship if you didn't," she admits.

"I just don't want to rush into anything," Beca tries to explain, calming her body until the arousal is more of a distant need, rather than a pressing one. "It sounds… you know… as an idea and all, but- Aubrey's not just a stranger, Chloe. She's your best friend, and you're- close with her in ways that I can't ever be. And if it happened, I might- get jealous," she confesses, averting her eyes. "Not that I think Aubrey would try to sabotage our relationship or anything," Beca rushes. "It's just- something that we should think about, right?"

"Yeah," Chloe nods. "It definitely is. And I've thought about that, too, Beca; I mean, I know that there's, like, no risk that you and Aubrey would run off together and leave me behind, but when it first occurred to me, I- had a little trouble imagining _anyone_ else's hands on you."

"You did?" Beca asks, smiling shyly.

"Of course I did," Chloe frowns bemusedly. "Beca, you're _mine_," she declares possessively. "You're _my_ tiny DJ, and, I mean, I want this – I think I've made that pretty clear – but I'm not going to lose you because of it. If it's something that you decide you don't want, I totes respect that, and I won't push you into it. I would understand. If it were anyone but Aubrey, I wouldn't ever be okay with someone else touching you. But I trust her," Chloe reasons, "and I understand if you don't have that trust for her, so it would totally be okay if you didn't want to do this, okay? Our relationship won't suffer for it at all, so don't agree just because _I_ want to. If it happens, this is something we should _both_ want, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Beca nods. "I'll uh- I'll think about it."

* * *

Beca _does_ think about it.

It's embarrassing, because Beca can think of almost nothing else for _weeks_. And every time she sees Aubrey, Beca blushes a furious red while Chloe babbles away and tries to distract the blonde from Beca's reaction.

Beca wonders if Aubrey's waxed. She wonders how Aubrey's skin would look against Chloe's. She wonders how talented Aubrey _is_ with those long, delicate fingers, and that waspish tongue. She imagines Aubrey's hair matted against her temples, and tangling with Chloe's against the pillow, the colors fusing together like streaks of summer warmth. She eyes the cut of Aubrey's shirt, and imagines the blonde's breasts pressed against her own. She wonders how Aubrey's slim frame would _feel_, and how it would look with her legs curled around Chloe's waist.

God, Beca can't think of _anything_ else.

She and Chloe have the conversation again, several times – always mentioned by Beca, while Chloe grants her time to process and consider – and Chloe reassures her that whatever Beca decides, the two of them are solid together, and that Chloe isn't going anywhere.

Chloe reassures Beca of her love and devotion for her.

And Beca continues to think, and wonder, and imagine – but, eventually, it seems like there are more reasons for her to _accept_ Chloe's offer than to decline it.

Beca's main concern is her relationship with Chloe, and, quite frankly, they _are_ solid together. Beca _knows_ they are. She spends nearly every night in Chloe's apartment, and they talk all the time, even when they're not together. Chloe makes her happy, and if the beam that lights up Chloe's face whenever they're together is anything to go by, then Beca somehow manages to do the same for Chloe. They love each other, endlessly, and –

And that's actually all that matters, to Beca.

So she wonders what she's actually waiting for.

But, she realizes during her time studying Aubrey, Beca could- maybe _feel_ something for her.

She likes the way that Aubrey's fingers absently twirl her spoon in her coffee as she pages through her textbooks. She likes the way her eyes shimmer with challenge every time Beca mentions something even minutely debatable. She likes the way her face looks, late at night and early in the morning, unmasked by make-up and too sleepy to be confrontational. She likes how Aubrey curls up in the corner of the sofa like a snoozy kitten after an exam, her head perched upon the armrest as she stares mindlessly at the television before she distractedly murmurs a question that she isn't sure she answered correctly.

It's weird, for sure, but more than that, it's _dangerous_. It's hazardous to her relationship with Chloe, and Beca just can't have that. So Beca tells Chloe about her concern, and hopes desperately that Chloe won't feel offended.

"I- maybe have feelings for her, too," Chloe admits, scanning her eyes across Beca's face. "She's- I mean, I told you I never really thought about it before, but now that I have, it's- sort of hard to _un_-notice her, you know?"

"Yeah," Beca nods uncertainly. "But… what does this mean, Chlo? Because I'm- insanely happy with you. And now I'm kind of worried that this could be a bad idea."

"It could be," Chloe says quietly, "or it could be a really good idea."

"How?" Beca frowns. "How could this possibly still be a good idea, Chloe?"

"Well," Chloe gnaws contemplatively at her lower lip, "Aubrey isn't exactly _seeing_ anyone, is she?" She asks rhetorically. "And, I mean, if _you_ have feelings for her, and- if _I_ have feelings for her, then what if- what if she could have feelings for us, too?"

Beca's immediate instincts tell her to scoff. Because that's crazy, right? But, truthfully, what Chloe's implying doesn't actually- sound so bad…

"What if she could?" Beca returns quietly.

* * *

"Chloe's being weird."

Beca frowns. She hears the muffled sound, but she can't make it out clearly over the music in her ears, so she lowers her headphones to the coffee table, and asks, "What are you doing here?"

Beca honestly just wants to ignore that Aubrey had spoken at all, but that would be rude, and if this thing has _any_ chance of happening, it's probably best that Beca tries to _not_ be that. But Beca hasn't been _alone_ with Aubrey since Chloe's suggestion a month before, and she's been avoiding it to the best of her ability – but Aubrey is supposed to be in class right now, like Chloe, which is why Beca is _here_, and the only thing that Beca can think to wonder is why Aubrey isn't _there_.

"My class was cancelled," Aubrey sighs, like it actually _pains_ her to have some free time. "The professor is sick," she explains shortly.

Beca actually smiles a little affectionately when she realizes that it's probably the lack of forewarning that had unsettled Aubrey, more than the idea of free time – although she clearly doesn't know what to do with the latter, either.

"Chloe's being weird," Aubrey repeats. "Is she okay?"

Beca fidgets nervously, but nods. "Yeah, she's- Chloe's fine."

"Are you sure?" Aubrey raises her brows expectantly. "I know you're not always great with emotions, Beca, but she _is_ being weird."

Beca rolls her eyes. "I'm _fine_ with emotions." Most of them, anyway. Not these ones, exactly, but- well, Aubrey doesn't need to know that, right now. "And she's not being weird."

It's a lie. Chloe's behaving as strangely as Beca is, trying very hard to restrain desires that she breathes hotly into Beca's ear at night as she buries her fingers in Beca's heat, and she's been working even harder to obscure Beca's fumbling awkwardness every time Aubrey is in the same room as them.

And Chloe's been making advances; subtle ones (or so Chloe thinks – but Chloe's definition of subtle isn't at all the same as Webster's), touching Aubrey's wrists and offering her a neck massage after a long day, pressing more frequent kisses to Aubrey's cheeks and landing them millimeters closer to her mouth, each time.

Chloe _is_ being weird, and it was only a matter of time before Aubrey began to wonder about it – but _Beca_ shouldn't be the one being asked.

"You're an idiot," Aubrey scoffs. "How can you not see it? She's rambling way more than she usually does. And she's even more touchy than usual, which is difficult to achieve. And you're being weird, too," Aubrey decides. "You turn red _all the time_. What gives?"

Beca panics.

(And turns red.)

This conversation should _not_ be happening right now – not without Chloe – and Beca has no idea what to say. But she knows she needs to come up with _something_.

"Um…"

Fuck _yes_.

Beca dryly considers that a rousing success.

"Well?" Aubrey demands impatiently. "What the hell, Beca?"

"Uh… Look, it's just- Chloe's fine, okay? We're both fine. Trust me," Beca implores.

"No," Aubrey frowns. "If it was just one of you, it'd be slightly more acceptable, but you're both acting strangely, and I want to know why."

"You probably don't, actually," Beca mumbles, darting her eyes across the room and praying to every deity she's ever even heard of that Chloe will come home _right now_.

"Is it a sex thing?" Aubrey asks, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "That's usually the only subject that really makes you blush, and Chloe just sounds extraordinarily excited _every time she speaks_. So is it sex?"

"Uh…"

"Look," Aubrey sighs heavily, like Beca's just admitted to her assumption with her hesitation, and lowers herself onto the couch beside Beca, "Chloe can be- inventive, when it comes to sex, okay? It's nothing to worry about," Aubrey promises. "If she suggests something that you don't like, then just tell her. I know it's difficult for you to use your words," Aubrey rolls her eyes, her soothing tone giving way to slight irritation and something that Beca _thinks_ (maybe hopes, a little) could be exasperated fondness, "but Chloe will understand."

"Sure," Beca nods confusedly.

Because, seriously? What is she even supposed to _do_, here? Like, this is the perfect segue for a threesome proposal, right? (Assuming that there _is_ a perfect segue for that kind of thing, obviously.) But Beca is so _not_ supposed to be the one extending it.

"So…?" Aubrey asks expectantly. "What does she want you to do?" Aubrey smirks.

Beca blushes until she can practically feel it in her toes.

Why the actual _fuck_ did Aubrey have to ask her that?

"You- should ask Chloe," Beca demurs.

Smart. That's smart. That was a really smart thing for her to say. Aubrey _should_ ask Chloe. Chloe will be much better at this than Beca is.

Aubrey laughs. "Maybe," she shrugs. "It would certainly be easier. But you're here now, and Chloe isn't. Plus, Chloe won't blush like you are, and I'm kind of enjoying this whole watching-you-squirm thing," she grins brilliantly, as green eyes glimmer with cruel amusement.

But, oh god, Beca wants to watch _her_ squirm.

Under Chloe.

Under _Beca_.

Beca wants to see her squirm all _over_.

"Um…"

"Come on," Aubrey nudges her shoulder lightly. "It can't be _that_ bad."

"I didn't say it was bad," Beca blurts. And promptly blushes an even hotter red. "I mean, it's not- it's… _different_," she settles uncomfortably.

"How different? What _kind_ of different?" Aubrey urges.

"Look, I think – "

"That I should ask Chloe," Aubrey finishes, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I know. But I'm asking you, so just spit it out, Beca."

Fucking Christ, Aubrey is frustrating. Like, _infuriating_. Why can't she just leave it _alone?_

"Well?" Aubrey lifts an imperious brow into her hairline. "It's obviously not just going to disappear on its own, Beca," she huffs impatiently. "You'll have to talk about it with Chloe, anyway, so you might as well get used to talking about – "

Beca– is _stupid_.

Seriously. Like, she is _raging_ with stupidity.

She has to be.

Because intelligent people do not lurch forward to kiss their girlfriend's best friend without preamble, no matter _what_ the circumstance.

But Beca clearly is _not_ intelligent. She. is. fucking. _stupid_.

And her mouth is on Aubrey's before she even gets to think about how it happened, her tongue shoving furiously through Aubrey's surprised, parted lips and her arms trapping the blonde against the couch, holding Beca up around her.

Aubrey isn't kissing her back (big surprise there), but… she isn't exactly pushing Beca _away_, either. Which is confusing.

The blonde's palm is simply stationed over Beca's heart, like Aubrey _meant_ to push against her, but she doesn't. She's just laying there – receiving Beca's kiss, but not quite reciprocating it.

Beca's blood is whirring, and her thoughts are racing.

She's kissing Aubrey.

Aubrey is _underneath _her.

Aubrey's not moving, which is worrying. And encouraging.

That's pretty complicated, right?

Aubrey's mouth is warm, and wet, and Beca feels _hot_.

_Beca_ is kissing _Aubrey._

And- fucking _shitballs_, Aubrey's tongue is sweeping across hers.

Oh, shit. Shit.

_Aubrey _is kissing _Beca_.

Beca's not thinking anymore. She can't. She tries, and she knows that she should, because Aubrey doesn't _know_ that this is okay, like Beca does, and Beca should really- voice that, at some point, right? But Beca can't _think_ about any of that, because Aubrey's _tongue_ is rubbing against hers and the blonde is _moaning_.

Moaning!

And–

"Oh my God!"

And that's not Aubrey.

* * *

_Author's Note: _Oh. Hey, Triple Treble, where did _you_ come from, when I clearly have two open stories to update? Harumph. You'd think I'd be satisfied with a Mitchsen story and a Bechloe one, but no; I need them all together, apparently. *le sigh* I went searching for a TT story, and wanted to cry when I couldn't find any new ones. And then my brain produced this, and I have another chapter and a half written. It'll only be three chapters, though – and maybe more, but if those get written, it'll _only_ be after I finish Sixteen Days. I promise. Please review, and tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Beca blinks, taking a single, literal second to remember her position – hovering overtop of Aubrey with Chloe slack-jawed in the doorway – and that's all it takes before Aubrey shoves against her chest and wipes the back of her wrist across her mouth, frantically jolting to her feet and flailing her hands anxiously through the air.

"Chloe, I- I'm so sorry. She- I didn't- oh my God, Chloe, I'm so, _so_ sorry."

Beca's hands are folded in her lap, her eyes watching them studiously, and she's still struggling to gather her thoughts – but they're murky, and she's a little confused, and she's almost positive that this was _not_ how that conversation was meant to end.

"Beca," Chloe calls softly, ignoring her (unnecessarily) apologetic friend, "are you okay?"

"Is she… _what?_ Chloe, _what?_" Aubrey demands.

"I'm- fine. I think. I- She was talking, and it just- _happened_. I _told_ her to ask you," Beca frowns. "I _told_ her, Chloe. I'm not good at this."

"_Obviously_!" Aubrey cries, ashamed and obviously confused.

Chloe smiles over at her softly, and takes her hand. "Bree, sit down. I'm not upset, okay? Sit down."

"You're not?" Aubrey asks, small, and weak. "But I- we – "

"I saw," Chloe bites her lip to hold back the grin that's already edging up the corners of her mouth, anyway. "But it's okay," she promises. "We just need to talk, that's all. Okay? It's alright, Aubrey," Chloe soothes. "Come on," she tugs her hand gently. "Come sit, okay?"

Aubrey follows her lead like a lost fucking puppy, and allows Chloe to seat her back on the couch, with the redhead situated in between them.

Beca swallows, and looks pleadingly at Chloe. "I'm sorry. I should've waited, it's just that- she was _asking_, Chloe, and she wouldn't _stop_. And I – "

"Calm down," Chloe laughs lightly. "You _know_ it's okay, Beca."

"I know, but I just didn't think that- I would be the one to…" Beca trails off, gesturing feebly in Aubrey's direction.

"That makes two of us," Chloe winks. "But this is good."

"_Good?_" Aubrey all but screeches, incredulous and bewildered. "Chloe, do you even understand what just _happened?_"

"Do you?" Chloe smirks at her.

Beca's actually momentarily proud of the redhead's execution; Chloe doesn't usually smirk, and when she tries, it mostly emerges as a semi-perverted, semi-creepy grin that just makes Beca laugh, more than anything else.

"I – " Aubrey furrows her brows and looks between Beca and Chloe like their faces will provide an answer that their words have yet to deliver.

"Aubrey, it's okay," Chloe saves. "Beca and I have talked about this. It's okay."

"Talked about what?"

"You," Beca answers carefully, and holds her breath.

"What?" Aubrey frowns. "What the hell are you talking about, Beca?"

"She's right, Bree," Chloe sighs, and Beca watches as her hand pales over Aubrey's, under the pressure of a soft squeeze. Beca reaches her hand out for Chloe's free one and applies pressure, too.

Hard pressure.

Lots of pressure.

Because Beca and rejection don't gel together at _all_, and she feels like that's a sincere possibility, here.

"Beca and I have talked about- you, and- all three of us, really."

"What does that _mean?_" Aubrey asks desperately. "I don't understand, Chloe."

"Fucking Christ," Beca puffs out. "_Being with you_, Aubrey."

"I beg your pardon?" Aubrey requests, her voice several octaves too high and her perfectly sculpted eyebrows rising with it.

"Well, I mean, it was my idea, initially," Chloe bites her lip nervously, and watches Aubrey, waiting for a reaction to peek through the shock.

Beca watches her, too.

"It's okay if that's- not something that you're interested in," Chloe says quietly. "But I don't want you to feel badly about kissing Beca, okay? She wouldn't have done it if we hadn't talked about it."

"You've- talked about it," Aubrey echoes vacantly.

"Yeah," Chloe nods. "And, I mean, like I said… no pressure, or anything. It's just something that we thought could be- interesting."

Beca knows that Chloe's carefully choosing her words, because 'interesting' is very, _very_ tame in comparison to the words that Beca has heard on this subject before.

"It took Beca a while to think it over," Chloe tells her. "We understand if you need some time, too."

Beca nods hesitantly, but murmurs (in true Beca Mitchell form), "But it didn't _feel_ like you needed much time to think."

Aubrey flushes.

Beca thinks it's pretty, watching her composure fall to pieces; she wonders why Aubrey's so keen on maintaining it, because she looks much more human without it.

"I- I didn't – " Aubrey glances fretfully over at Chloe, holding her free hand over her stomach, like the contents of it are threatening to release.

Beca squeezes Chloe's hand tighter.

"Aubrey, it's_ okay_," Chloe insists. "Really."

"But this is- insane," Aubrey frowns. "You realize that, don't you?" She asks expectantly, flitting her eyes between both Beca's and Chloe's. "You can't just throw three people into bed together and say, 'hey, this is a really good idea, ladies; let's fuck,'" she remarks bluntly, clearly struggling to grasp the concept altogether.

"Well," Chloe hesitates, "it wouldn't necessarily _have_ to be that way."

"What other way could you _possibly_ mean that, Chloe?" Aubrey demands impatiently.

"Well, Beca and I – "

"We like you, okay?" Beca huffs abruptly. "This is stupid. We're tiptoeing around the point, and it's not getting us anywhere," she says to Chloe. "Look at her," she frowns. "Aubrey's completely lost, and clearly being gentle and easing our way into it isn't benefiting anyone."

Beca takes a deep breath and turns to face Aubrey.

"Look, Chloe- had a sex suggestion, like you thought," Beca begins to explain. "And it involved you, and the two of us. So I thought about it, and then you're- you know… You're you," Beca rolls her eyes at her own inability to communicate, even as the heat returns to her cheeks. "You're gorgeous, and you're smart, and you're annoying as _shit_, but you're supportive, and you're there for us, and we like you. I love Chloe – "

"And I love Beca," Chloe smiles softly, gripping Beca's hand until it actually _hurts_.

"But we probably- love you, too," Beca sighs. "And it's confusing, and it's weird, and we get all of that, so if you want to run for the hills or whatever, now would be the time. But if you think that- that maybe there's a chance that you could want to do something crazy and unorthodox and totally outside your comfort zone, then you should- stay. And we should talk about it."

Aubrey laughs airlessly and holds her palm up to her forehead, like she's checking her own temperature. "Are you for serious right now?"

"We are," Chloe swallows. "I know that this is- strange. And it's probably worse for you, because you're- well, you're _Aubrey_, and there's so much disorder to what we're suggesting that it probably just sounds unrealistic to you. But- we _are_ serious, Bree."

"And you?" Aubrey rounds on Beca. "With all of your hatred toward me, you're okay with this?" She asks disbelievingly.

"I don't hate you," Beca huffs. "I never hated you. You just grate on my nerves, sometimes. And weren't you listening? I said _we_, Aubrey. _We_ love you. Both of us."

"I- need to think," Aubrey announces. "I need to think," she repeats.

"Okay," Chloe sighs softly. "But if- if you're just thinking to find a way to tell us no without destroying things between us, then you don't need to. We'd understand, Bree."

"I wouldn't _like_ it," Beca grumbles, "and I think Chloe might be heartbroken, but- we'd get it, okay? So if you already know that it's something you don't want, then you can tell us, and we'll figure it out, somehow, without fucking everything up."

"I – " Aubrey shakes her head. "It's not- without its appeal."

Wow.

That's flattering, almost. And so… _Aubrey_. Like, how can she even think to be that diplomatic, right now? Beca can't think beyond the fact that her lips are still buzzing and her heart is stammering in nervous anticipation.

But Aubrey's always been impressive.

"Really?" Chloe beams. "I mean, I know that's not a yes," she waves dismissively, detangling her hand from Aubrey's to do it, "but- really? You don't completely hate the idea?"

"I'd- be lying if I said that I never felt anything for you in all the time we've known each other, Chloe," Aubrey frowns, eyeing her lap contemplatively.

"So it's me," Beca realizes, swallowing thickly and turning her eyes to the coffee table as she feels them begin to tear.

Okay, she _knows_ she feels strongly for Aubrey, but… damn, that hurts more than she thought it would. In her mind, Beca's rejection had only come paired with Chloe's. It- stings more than Beca would like to admit to know that she's the part of this equation that Aubrey would like to factor out.

"Hey," Chloe murmurs, turning to whisper against her cheek. "It's okay."

Beca nods, but she doesn't exactly _mean_ the agreement that she's indicating. It doesn't really feel okay at all.

It hurts.

It hurts _badly_.

"You're actually upset," Aubrey realizes, shocked.

"She just told you that she loves you, Aubrey," Chloe frowns irritably. "Of course she's upset."

"It's not that I _don't_ feel anything," Aubrey tries. "For Beca. For you," she flinches, and Beca can see that the blonde is turning to face her from her peripheral vision.

Beca sighs, and steels her voice. "It's okay. I mean, it's not like we always- get along, or whatever. It's not exactly surprising, is it?" She tries for a weak smile, but she feels it waver on her face.

Chloe's hand moves to hold her thigh, and she squeezes tightly.

"No, I- I mean that I do- _care_ about you," Aubrey admits hesitantly. "It's just that- you were always Chloe's. I was never _allowed_ to feel anything for you. But that doesn't mean that I didn't," Aubrey confesses softly.

"What does that mean?" Chloe asks, frowning.

"I- care about Beca _now_," Aubrey clenches her jaw nervously. "I cared about you for years, Chloe, and Beca- was the only real thought that took _away_ from what I felt for you."

"I'm- still lost," Beca shakes her head.

Aubrey sighs impatiently, and snaps, "What don't you understand, Beca? I'm in love with you, and I was in love with Chloe until you existed in my life. I didn't like it – I went from one seemingly impossible option straight into another – but I couldn't exactly _help it_."

Beca feels herself warm a little, but deflation comes with it. Aubrey's words are troubling, sort of. Beca doesn't wholly understand, still, but she certainly didn't miss the use of past tense with Aubrey's feelings for Chloe.

"You- _were_ in love with me?" Chloe asks hoarsely. "Are you- not, anymore?"

Beca wraps her arm around Chloe's shoulders as her bottom lip trembles, and she turns to face Aubrey with a look of warning in her eyes.

Beca _does_ understand if this isn't something that Aubrey wants, or if she doesn't feel for both of them the way that they each feel for her – it's complicated, after all, and very complex, and Aubrey can't help her feelings any more than they can – but she needs Aubrey to be gentle with Chloe.

"I- think I'll always be a little in love with you, Chloe," Aubrey murmurs softly. "I'm just trying to- clarify. This is- It's a lot, alright? I'm trying to work through it in my head, and explain it to you both all at once, and things aren't necessarily- coming out the way that I want them to. I just meant that- this is really confusing, for me. I've spent the past few months trying to forget about my feelings for _both_ of you, and then…" She motions toward the two them. "It's just a lot, for me. But I- suppose it's fair for the two of you to know my feelings for you, since you've shared yours with me. So, I guess to put it bluntly, yes, I'm in love with you both, too."

Chloe's hand pats elatedly over Beca's leg, and Beca feels a few of her muscles relax. This is what they wanted. It's what Chloe had hoped for, and exactly what Beca hadn't _allowed_ herself to hope for.

"So," Beca clears her throat, "how does this work?"

"Bree?" Chloe asks softly. "Beca and I have- thought about this. Obviously. You know that, by now," she laughs airily. "But- you haven't had the same time that we have. So whatever you want to do next, you can tell us."

"I- I don't know," Aubrey breathes on a chuckle. "This is- overwhelming, right? I mean, I'm not alone in that, am I?"

"Dude," Beca puffs out. "_No._"

Aubrey rolls her eyes.

Chloe giggles.

"Look," Beca frowns, "excuse my lack of grace, here, okay? I don't care how much time I've had to think about it, I never actually thought that you would say _yes_," Beca says to Aubrey. "I'm excited. And I'm nervous. And I don't really have the mental capacity to make my words sound pretty, so excuse the fuck out of me."

"Well," Aubrey chews momentarily at the inside of her right cheek, "can I ask a question?"

"Of course," Chloe nods enthusiastically. "Ask anything you want."

"How long has this idea been- floating around?"

"A little over a month," Chloe says. "For Beca, anyway. I had the dream a couple weeks before that."

"_Dream?_" Aubrey asks, lofting her brows.

"Oh, totes," Chloe grins. "It was really- _involved_."

Aubrey blushes, but Beca can't really blame her at all, because – even with a month of exposure to filthy murmurs detailing _all about_ Chloe's dream – she still blushes, too.

"Don't ask," Beca cautions. "I promise, no matter how far your thoughts have evolved since we started this conversation, you're not ready for that."

"I believe you," Aubrey replies huskily.

Chloe bites her lip, and Beca squirms. _Husky_ isn't exactly something that she's often heard fall from Aubrey's lips, and it's- _humid_. Beca's body just feels like the air around it is hot and _humid_, and she almost feels like she's suffocating.

"Can I ask a question, now?" Chloe asks, tipping her head to the left with a cheeky little smile.

"Sure," Aubrey answers, though her tone indicates suspicion.

Beca knows why; Chloe sounds mischievous, and that sometimes leads to trouble. Or embarrassment.

Often both.

"Well, Beca got to…" Chloe begins. "And I wanna- kiss you, too. Can I- Will you let me kiss you, Bree?"

Aubrey flushes, her cheeks ruddy with either embarrassment or excitement (but probably a mixture of the two, Beca guesses), and hesitantly nods her head.

Chloe releases a squeal of eagerness, but it only lasts for a moment before she cradles her fingers around Aubrey's neck and leans in until their foreheads touch, her opposite hand still holding Beca's leg behind her.

"Is this okay?" Chloe murmurs.

"It's- yes," Aubrey nods. "Yes," she says again.

"Good," Chloe smiles softly, and then tips her mouth up to whisper across Aubrey's once, then twice, with those sweet, butterfly kisses that Beca just _adores._

But Aubrey clearly adores them a little less (or is really anxious to know what the real thing actually feels like), and puts a little more insistence behind it. Chloe's response is to trace the line of Aubrey's lower lip with her tongue, and when Aubrey's slips out to meet it, Beca thinks her heart might actually be _failing_.

She swallows.

Hard.

And tries to coach her breathing through the shock of arousal that just stabbed through her system, without much success.

A moment later, Chloe pulls away, slightly, and bites her lip.

"That was- sort of amazing," Aubrey whispers as her eyelids flicker apart.

"_Yeah_," Chloe breathes, nodding excitably. "Sort of… _really_ amazing."

Beca kind of wants to know what Aubrey thought of her kiss, too – but that seems like an awkward question to ask, so Beca digs her teeth into her bottom lip to refrain.

"Beca?" Chloe asks, turning back to face her. "Are you- was that okay?"

"Uh… yes?"

Is that even a serious question?

"Are you- sure?" Chloe inquires anxiously. "I know you were- nervous about being – "

"_Oh,_" Beca realizes. Yeah, that makes sense. Chloe's trying to figure out if Beca's jealous, because Beca had mentioned that it might be an issue – but that was way before Beca had fallen in love with Aubrey (or, at least, before Beca had _realized _that she'd fallen in love with Aubrey). But, truthfully, Beca hadn't had _time_ to feel jealous, because all she'd felt was heat and a desperate urge to drag her hand down her pants. "Yeah, no. Not a concern."

Chloe giggles.

"Bree?"

"Hm?" Aubrey hums distractedly. "Sorry, yes. What is it, Chloe?"

"Are you- having second thoughts?" Beca ventures, spying the dazed fog covering her eyes.

"No," Aubrey laughs. "After that? No. I'm just- wondering where we go from here."

Beca glances at Chloe, but she's fidgeting with her hands in her lap, so Beca sighs. "Well, we could- go on a date? I mean, I don't want to- do anything that you aren't ready for, and I know this idea might take a while to settle. For all of us," she adds, watching them both for a response.

"That- actually sounds nice," Aubrey says, looking surprised. "It's weird that you're the one to suggest it, but it- sounds nice."

"I'm not a _heathen_," Beca scoffs.

"We know," Chloe coos, briefly pressing her mouth into Beca's to pacify her.

"I didn't," Aubrey snorts.

"Aubrey," Chloe scolds playfully.

"Yeah," Beca scowls. "Give me _some_ credit every now and again, Posen."

"Sorry," Aubrey chuckles, offering her palms up innocently. "Sorry," she repeats. "So, when are we doing this date, then?"

"This weekend," Chloe determines. "But I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to cuddle."

Beca blinks. "Is this- supposed to be a surprise, to us?"

Chloe pokes out her tongue and folds her legs beneath her, promptly tucking her cheek against Aubrey's chest. "Fine. Aubrey can have all the cuddles that you clearly don't want."

Beca frowns.

Aubrey sort of… smirks, and hesitantly raises her hand to curl through Chloe's hair.

It's not like they haven't cuddled up before, Beca knows – Chloe's very affectionate in general, but has always been more so with Beca and Aubrey – but she imagines that with all of the revelations of this afternoon, Aubrey probably feels a little uncertain about what she's now allowed to do.

Beca stands up and moves around Chloe to sit on Aubrey's opposite side, and drapes her legs over the armrest with her feet dangling in the air to fit her head into Aubrey's lap.

Aubrey looks surprised, so Beca challengingly lifts her brows and wordlessly dares the blond to make a comment.

Aubrey rises to the occasion, like Beca knew she would; she knows Aubrey's feeling out of place, and a little bickering couldn't hurt to help nudge her back into normalcy (or help her find a new version of 'normal,' maybe).

"Look at you, all boundary-less and snuggly," Aubrey titters.

"She's just jealous that I got all the attention," Chloe winks.

"Am not," Beca rolls her eyes. "I just- want to be close with you," Beca admits uncomfortably, slanting her cheek to face toward the coffee table with her slight embarrassment.

Confessions like that (and all the others that Beca had unpredictably spearheaded tonight) are not exactly her forte, and while she knows that Chloe's smiling down at her adoringly, Beca's hoping that Aubrey isn't about to poke fun at her for it.

"That's- really sweet, Beca," Aubrey murmurs. "And I'm sorry; I- want to be close with both of you, too."

Beca's heart swells.

This is- sort of the best feeling she's ever had. Which is crazy, because Beca was _sure_ that kissing Chloe for the first time had rocked her into an emotional high that could never be replicated or outdone.

But this is somehow even better.

* * *

_Author's Note:_ I'm just not feeling the angst for this one. I know I'm making it easy for them, but whatever. Also, I've decided I don't like how I've done chapter three, so I'm going to rewrite it, but I'm putting it on hold until I update _Sixteen Days_ and _I __Know You in My Soul_, because I feel like I'm cheating on them. Ugh. My muse needs to get it together, guys. Seriously. _But!_ If it makes you feel any better, I've pretty much decided that I want this to be a full-length story, when I've finished _Sixteen Days_. I think I can manage two stories at once, but three is overwhelming. Anyway, please review!


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